Friend or foe? Understanding the spatial distribution of how people perceive benefits and burdens provided by birds

Managing urban environments to foster positive coexistence between people and birds poses substantial challenges, as it requires a broad understanding of the diverse benefits and burdens associated with nature. Management decisions are further complicated by the variation in how people perceive nature, particularly in racially diverse and underserved communities whose members have traditionally been overlooked in research and planning. We aimed to (1) explore the perceived qualities of urban birds and their impact on residents in racially diverse communities, (2) evaluate the relative importance of bird-derived benefits and burdens, and (3) identify spatially explicit priority places for human-bird interactions using social-ecological data. Using mixed methods, including focus groups and a household survey, we engaged residents across two adjacent Midwestern cities in the United States. Our survey included a participatory mapping exercise that enabled us to evaluate the benefits and burdens resulting from human-bird interactions. The spatially explicit survey data were then modeled in relation to landscape metrics, including distance to greenspace, distance to water, and bird diversity using a GIS application called SolVES (Social Values for Ecosystem Services). Survey respondents valued safeguarding the benefits derived from bird diversity, aesthetics, bird songs, and therapeutic experiences, while addressing burdens associated with bird waste, aggression, and invasive species. We identified high and low-priority locations to promote positive coexistence between people and birds, as well as guide management decisions to support both human well-being and urban biodiversity across spatial scales.